This is basically the algorithm I use when trying to get my 4yo to make a choice. I can tell you it works even with just 2 options! I choose a default (usually based on what I want), and then go through the other option(s) one at a time asking, “do you like this one better than the current default”. If yes, that becomes the new default. I weed out the bad choices myself (based mostly on time and safety) and simply don’t present them at all. At the end of the list, even if the kid is acting like a brat and refusing to participate at all, I still have a default option to execute on.
I’ve always figured it works because of that initial choice of default option. It’s easier to compare how much we want to do one thing vs. another than it is to pick from a large list, and even more so if we clearly define and commit to an option that will trigger if we don’t choose otherwise. Using (variously arbitrary) defaults makes it very obvious that refusing to choose is choosing to let somebody else make the decision for you (even if “somebody else” is just the random order of the list). I’ve also noticed this method also doesn’t induce decision fatigue as fast as other methods.
This is basically the algorithm I use when trying to get my 4yo to make a choice. I can tell you it works even with just 2 options! I choose a default (usually based on what I want), and then go through the other option(s) one at a time asking, “do you like this one better than the current default”. If yes, that becomes the new default. I weed out the bad choices myself (based mostly on time and safety) and simply don’t present them at all. At the end of the list, even if the kid is acting like a brat and refusing to participate at all, I still have a default option to execute on.
I’ve always figured it works because of that initial choice of default option. It’s easier to compare how much we want to do one thing vs. another than it is to pick from a large list, and even more so if we clearly define and commit to an option that will trigger if we don’t choose otherwise. Using (variously arbitrary) defaults makes it very obvious that refusing to choose is choosing to let somebody else make the decision for you (even if “somebody else” is just the random order of the list). I’ve also noticed this method also doesn’t induce decision fatigue as fast as other methods.
Nice, this sounds like a good system.